


Or Maybe Even...

by sweepeaspatch



Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: Afterlife, F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28918584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweepeaspatch/pseuds/sweepeaspatch
Summary: The Season 10 promo... last time...
Relationships: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Comments: 11
Kudos: 9





	Or Maybe Even...

**Author's Note:**

> **Apologies ahead of time for childhood memes. I myself am NOT a ‘recruiter’.**

Or Maybe Even…  
Richard lifts a hand and waves to the Love of his Life only to see her frown and turn away. He watches as she marches stiffly around the corner of his former home and out of sight. He sighs wearily. _Yep, no matter what awful thing happens in my life, I can always count on her to be… so TOTALLY FRENCH!!!_

He continues walking and smiles small; one consolation of being ‘gone beyond’, no more sand in his shoes. He hears the truck pull away and by the time he gets to the little house, all is quiet. He climbs the steps and sets down his briefcase, crosses his arms, and grumps, “Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do! Now what? Why am I here again if not for her?”

A voice speaks up suddenly behind him but his heart doesn’t jump; it’s done with normal everyday scares. It’ll take more than a voice erupting out of thin air to make his heart thump once more. He turns with a not-very-surprised look on his face because… he recognizes this voice.

“Can’t you guess?” Clarence says as he steps out from inside the house, two cups of tea in his hands. The fact that both veranda doors are closed doesn’t faze either of them. 

Richard accepts the cup with thanks. It had been rather a long walk, longer than the actual beach in fact but that also doesn’t faze him. “So,” he says after a sip of perfectly perfect Da Hong Pao tea, “what brings you here, Clarence?” He pauses for another sip then adds, “Do you still go by that name?”

The angel nods, “Yes, but I earned an upgrade, thanks to you. Check out the new suit.” He poses and Richard nods in appreciation. The angel gestures to 2 chairs, “Let’s sit. We have much to talk about.”

Richard eases into his chair, careful not to spill a precious drop, “We do, do we?”

“Yes,” Clarence nods, “we do. I got an upgrade, as I said. Now I’m a recruiter, an emissary, as it were.”

Richard’s face goes very still, “Jolly good. You’re no longer in the ‘This is Your Life’ department?”

“No,” Clarence says with all seriousness, “and I very nearly lost my wings altogether over you except…” He fixes Richard with a long speculative look. Richard calmly sips his tea and waits for it, twenty-five years a copper has taught him when a possible con is on. Clarence blinks, “… except for something that happened when you leapt off the pier. You didn’t see it as you were entirely focused on Ms. Bordey but I saw it and, more importantly, my superiors saw it. I must say, it caused quite a kerfuffle.”

Richard slowly lowers his cup, his eyes carefully down, “Oh, a kerfuffle. That doesn’t sound good.”

Clarence grins, “Oh, I enjoyed it immensely! We don’t often get surprised in our line of work. My notes were no help and no one quite knew what to think about it. Then one of our bright sparks thought to check your history, had to go back 1,538 years to Wales…” Richard’s eyebrows quirk as Clarence peers at him more closely, “Tell me, Richard, does the name Emrys or Myrddin mean anything to you?”

Richard nods slowly, “Of course. Every good Welshman knows those names. More than half the men claim direct kinship. My own great grandfather’s middle name was Emrys. It was almost my own except Father wouldn’t allow such a pagan name for his only begotten son.”

Clarence waves an impatient hand, “Let’s leave ‘only begotten sons’ out of this for the moment. So you recognize the names then?”

“Yes, I already said. Why?”

Clarence sits back with a very satisfied huff, “Because, my friend, you should have been carrying that name all along because you ARE a direct descendant... and that’s why I’m here today with my spiffy new suit and my spiffy new title of ‘Recruiter’,” but before he can continue a pale hand is upheld, requesting silence, and he holds his breath instead.

“I can deduce the rest of your spiel. Will we be working together, you and I?”

Clarence says in a small voice, “Only if you will it. It’s not up to me.”

Richard studies the depths of his tea cup then asks cautiously, “Will my new duties prevent me from ever meeting her again?”

Clarence doffs his hat and shakes his head energetically, “Oh, no, never that. Whatever you want, whatever you request, it shall be granted. That’s a promise.”

Richard smiles, “I see. Well, then…” and he stands, a hazy pall of roiling grey smoke beginning to coalesce out of the air around him. Clarence blinks and gulps and hastily stands too. Richard stretches and wide wings of pearly mist seem to enclose the entire beach for an instant before he is just himself once more, neat and tidy and properly suited for whatever job awaits him. 

He gestures to the angel, “… shall we go? I imagine the passage of time is different at your level? I won’t have to wait too long to be reunited with her, will I?”

Clarence gives a hasty head-shake, “Oh, no, it’ll be no time at all. In fact, we checked her history too and we found out something rather amazing. You two are always destined to be perfect partners in Life.”

Richard takes one last look around before facing the angel, “And… in the After Life?”

Clarence pauses just before he waves his hat, murmurs, “Even better, Richard, even better.”

There is a whirl of opaline smoke, a gust of fragrant air, and the veranda is empty. Richard Poole is off on the next phase of his existence and he’s got a lot of work to do before anyone is even remotely ready for Camille Blaise Diana Nimue Bordey to join ‘The Team’.

END

**Author's Note:**

> **Clarence alludes to his first meeting with Richard in the story _‘It Could Be A Wonderful Life’_ posted here on AO3 in **‘It Never Happened!! (series #4) – collection #2’** from Dec. 4-26, 2020.**


End file.
